The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
As the Second World War came to a bloody close in April 1945, the international community was horrified to learn of the atrocities committed throughout the deadly conflict. It is estimated over 17 million people were killed during the war, millions of whom were victim to religious and ethnic genocide. The United Nations was founded in April of 1945 by 51 countries (as of 2021, there are 193 nations a part of the U.N.) as an intergovernmental organisation, committed to preserving the newly found global peace and continuing to promote social progress worldwide. One of their first acts as an organisation was the decision to create a document that would outline an individuals “basic rights and fundamental freedoms; affirming their universal character as inherent, inalienable, and applicable to all human beings“. After two years of deliberations by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Drafting Committee, a final document was brought before the U.N. On 10th December 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was accepted by the General Assembly of the U.N. in Paris, France. The document is a foundational text in the history of human rights and is considered the first of its kind having been supported by a majority of nations. It consists of 30 articles which outline an individuals rights and freedoms including: the right to freedom from torture; the right to free speech; the right to seek asylum; and the right to education. The document also promotes an individuals economic, health and cultural rights. The Universal Declaration is not a treaty, so it does not directly create legal obligations for countries. However, it is an expression of the fundamental values which are shared by all members of the international community and has influenced dozens of treaties and statutes that have been written into law since.
Design and Typography in Political Posters
I decided to begin my design research by reading “Collection Selections: 10 Pivotal Political Posters“, an article posted by the San Francisco MoMA and authored by the museum’s associate curator of architecture and design, Jospeh Becker. This is a relevant and interesting examination of design throughout history which has presented information and encouraged action amongst the masses towards social justice, as the Declaration was also created to achieve. One design featured which I found particularly successful in delivering its political message in an interesting and thought-provoking way is Lorraine Schneider’s “Prime” (1967).
“Primer” is an evocative and moving poster designed by American artist Lorraine Schneider (1935 – 1972) in 1967, as a response to American military intervention in Vietnam. In 1965, U.S. troops landed in Vietnam in an attempt to dispose of the Vietnamese Communist government. Over a ten year period, the U.S. alongside other Western nations including the U.K. and France fought the country’s Viet Cong guerrilla forces until the last U.S. troops left in 1975. During this time, reports returned home of the inhumane war crimes being committed against innocent Vietnamese civilians by the U.S. military, including the dropping of Napalm (a toxic agent that caused excruciating skins burns and fatality). Many Americans were shocked to learn of the atrocities being committed by their own military on foreign soil, inspiring several forms of protest including through design.
Schneider and her design have been credited with bringing the grassroots, anti-war movement, Another Mother for Peace, to international attention. The movement would use Schneider’s print as the somber front cover design for over 200,000 Mother’s Day cards distributed to the public by the movement. The cards were signed and forwarded to Congress, showing a mass opposition to the war in Vietnam.
I found this poster incredibly striking due to its animated, child-like aesthetic. A large sunflower stands vertically across the length of the poster, rendered in a foreboding black tone. The flower is starkly contrasted with the canary yellow background – a primary colour associated with vitality, joy and childhood. The flower’s expressive and lively silhouette is achieved with what appears to be a wax crayon that creates a scribbled and patchy shading. The use of crayon as a medium suggests to the audience that a child might have clumsily sketched the image. Dark, pointed stems stretch out sinisterly from the sunflower. The bright and joyfully yellow head of the flower is shrouded in an ominous black plane as though the sky has darkened behind it; starving the growing plant of nutrients and life provided by the vivid yellow sun ( as suggested by the background). The haunting phrase: “War is not healthy for children and other living things” is annotated in crayon using a large, unsophisticated handwritten font that is arranged around the stems and head of the sunflower. The typeface is extremely heavy in weight, reflecting the effect of a child’s heavy-handed motion and pressure when learning to write. There is no consistent kerning between letters. Similarly, letters and words are not aligned to a baseline, creating an intentionally disorderly presentation that allows the words to fit close to the sunflowers structure. The irregular placement of text around the illustration creates a stilted path which the audience is forced to read carefully.
I believe the child-like design is perfected by Schneider to create the impression that a child has illustrated the Mother’s Day card. In doing so, the design evokes a tragic sense of innocence as a loving card is subverted, transforming into a plea for peace. The viewer (in this case, intended to be a member of the U.S. Congress) is forced to view the war through the fearful eyes of a Vietnamese child experiencing the horrors of the conflict firsthand (it is estimated more than 84,000 Vietnamese children were killed during the war); or even an American child who was at risk of being drafted if the conflict were to continue.
“Silence = Death” is an iconic poster created in 1986 by LGBT activists: Avram Finkelstein, Brian Howard, Oliver Johnston, Charles Kreloff, Chris Lione and Jorge Soccarás. The poster (and movement by the same title) was designed in response to the appalling handling of the AIDs crisis by the Reagan Administration and U.S. Government during the 1980s.
The poster is very minimal in colour (comprised of black, white and neon pink) and in decoration. The sombre and morbid black background effectively contrasts with the white text and single, pink triangle; successfully drawing the audiences attention to its message. The white text is large taking up the width of the poster. The text utilises a formal, tall and narrow sans-serif typeface with very little kerning to allow the slogan to fit on the one line, making it easier for the viewer to read the full text. I think the large height and narrow width of the typeface is reminiscent of a tomb stone creating an sombre eeriness as it looms over the audience, reflecting the context of the text appropriately. The use of capitals produces a sense of urgency, reflecting an alert or traffic sign; emphasising the importance of spreading awareness about the AIDs crisis immediately, during a time when world leaders were willing to sacrifice millions of lives rather than take action to stop the preventable disease because of their prejudice against the LGBT community.
The poster was particularly motivated by the alarming comments made by an American politician who called for those positive with HIV to be branded with a tattoo. The posters six creators were horrified by this comment as it was hauntingly similar to the cruel practice used decades before in Nazi concentration camps to dehumanise prisoners. Thus, the design includes a pink triangle – the symbol stitched to the uniform of LGBT prisoners in the camps; centre aligned and seemingly floating in the terrifying darkness of the background. I think that the use of this geometric shape is incredibly moving as its simplicity striking and speaks volumes; allowing the audience to make the connection on their own and realise the horror of what was happening during the crisis.
Article Fourteen: The Right to Asylum
Following my initial research, which provided both context on the Declaration and also the role design has played in politics and social justice, I decided that I would base my design on Article 14 of the Declaration.
Article 14 states that:
- Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
- This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
This Article advocates for the rights of refugees internationally who are forced to leave their home due to the threat of violence or persecution from governments, terrorist groups or other oppressive authorities that may cause individuals or groups harm. In the wake of World War II, this convention is in reaction to the failing of the international community in response to the Holocaust. Allied countries including the U.K. and U.S. both denied asylum to thousands of refugees including Jewish people, members of the LGBT community and other groups targeted by the Nazi’s, who were fleeing for their lives. While researching the current international refugee crisis to better understand asylum seeking, I found that this Article could not be more relevant today as the wilful ignorance displayed by these governments in the 1930s and 40s is not only prevalent today – but is exploited by politicians to create fear mongering and encourage nationalistic attitudes which benefit their careers. Having researched the shocking data provided by Amnesty International on the current refugee crisis and also read articles written by individuals fleeing their homes for a safer future, I decided I wanted my poster to evoke a sense of loss and detachment which many of those seeking asylum describe experiencing as they are forcibly separated from their families, culture and history under threat of persecution.
